My experience with induction Wooooot!
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ragdollhugs
New Member
Joined: 07 Sep 2007
Posts: 25
Mon Sep 17, 2007 10: 24 pm    Post subject: My experience with induction Wooooot!
After * thinking * I was doing Atkins for more than two weeks I found out I was making at least three fundamental mistakes. Last time I listen to my know - it - all maintain ex husband I tell ya! * LOL * He is an head after all, researches the heck out of everything and he successfully lost 130 pounds on this diet. I thought he knew his shiz, but nooooo. I don ' t know how he ever got into ketosis the way he approached Atkins. Not only did he lose 130 lbs overall, but he managed to keep off all but 50 long term ( 2 years or more now ) and he lost about 28 pounds the first month. He was a whopper when he started though. I don ' t expect to lose nearly that much or that fast. I will whither away.
Now I * am * on Atkins and going by the book, as they say and literally. This is only day three and I don ' t have any big news to report but I am peeing a lot which seems positive. It might be my imagination but it seems a have a babyish bit more wiggle room in my pants as well. I ' m trying not to think of that in case it ' s a false alarm. [ / icon_lol. gif]
I am having trouble finding ketosis sticks and hoo boy it ' s entirely difficult to find a multi vitamin without iron. I thought drug stores were supposed to bring all these odds and ends. [ / icon_confused. gif]
I will report back as I turtle through induction. I have some jeans staring at me on a shelf in my slinky just waiting for me to drop a few pounds so I can get in to them. Muwahaha. Talk about motivation! New jeans, two sizes smaller than what I ' m wearing. I can sooooo picture me in them now. Wish me luck!
Pipi
Familiar Member
Joined: 04 Sep 2007
Posts: 35
Mon Sep 17, 2007 10: 32 pm    Post subject:
What were your mistakes?
Yeah, just keep staring at those jeans and you will get there. This weekend, I was able to fit into my old jeans size 29 [ / icon_biggrin. gif]
ragdollhugs
New Member
Joined: 07 Sep 2007
Posts: 25
Mon Sep 17, 2007 10: 39 pm    Post subject:
Good for you Pipi! [ / icon_biggrin. gif]
My mistakes were that I thought I could eat as much cheese as I wanted, that I could eat ANY cheese and I was not eating enough vegetables. I read the Atkins book years ago and my biggest mistake was not re - reading it before starting this diet. Instead i asked the EH for a crash course verbally and he filled my head with a bunch of twaddle.
Pipi
Confessed Member
Joined: 04 Sep 2007
Posts: 35
Mon Sep 17, 2007 10: 52 pm    Post subject:
Well, I am glad you found out. I remember reading your posts and how you were not loosing any weight. I think you can only eat 2 - 3 oz of cheese. What I found out, while on Atkins before on / off, I cannot overeat, and I need to watch my calorie intake. If I do too much, I do not loose weight, not at least fast as I would love to. Also, do not overdo with meat either, just eat balanced diet, with vegetables.
ragdollhugs
New Member
Joined: 07 Sep 2007
Posts: 25
Mon Sep 17, 2007 10: 55 pm    Post subject:
Thanks for the tips Pipi. I am loosely counting my calories and trying to keep it at a healthy overalll number.
Yeah, I was so frustrated when I was not losing weight. I hope to report back soon that I am finally shrinking!
towhook
Senior Member
Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 285
Locale: Dallas, Tx
Mon Sep 17, 2007 11: 04 pm    Post subject:
search amazon for ' ketone test ' for test strips.
Most men ' s vitamins are fine because they don ' t have iron. Also, you could try centrum carb compensation vitamins, I just saw them in a search and they look fine.
I ' m glad you ' re going to stick with it and correct your mistakes. I hope it works out for you. I ' m categorical that it will work for anyone as long as they do it by the book. It ' s just easier for some people, but no matter who you are if you stick with it, you ' ll see results.
ragdollhugs
New Member
Joined: 07 Sep 2007
Posts: 25
Mon Sep 17, 2007 11: 07 pm    Post subject:
Ooh. I meant to ask. Are iron free prenatal vitamins ok? It ' s the only one I could find without iron.
towhook
Senior Member
Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 285
Spot: Dallas, Tx
Mon Sep 17, 2007 11: 08 pm    Post subject:
I ' m sure they ' re fine.
ragdollhugs
New Member
Joined: 07 Sep 2007
Posts: 25
Mon Sep 17, 2007 11: 10 pm    Post subject:
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
After my rough start I ' m a wee bit paraniod of making more mistakes. * hehe *
KHOLOBAR
Senior Member
Joined: 16 Jun 2007
Posts: 965
Tue Sep 18, 2007 1: 39 am    Post subject:
We all make mistakes in the beginning and then learn from it mine was that i took a mineral that was loaded with sugar I took it for my 1st eight days live and learn. Wish you rthe best Im sure you will do fine plus look you are educating others so they will hopefully not make the same mistakes.
ragdollhugs
New Member
Joined: 07 Sep 2007
Posts: 25
Mon Sep 24, 2007 6: 01 pm    Post subject: UPDATE
I don ' t weigh myself routinely. I go by how my clothes fit to indicate if my weight loss is successful. I don ' t measure myself either, I just measure success by my clothes. Nothing more.
Before starting Atkins I did weigh myself and as I have indicated in another post I made some fundamental mistakes the first 2 - 2. 5 weeks which I have since corrected.
I have been doing induction by the book, without mistakes or cheating for about two weeks now and progress is slow it seems. However since that very first weigh in I have lost 15 pounds! That does entail the time where I merely thought I was doing Atkins but doing so incorrectly.
I was soooo scared to get on that scale today and be disappointed but now I am feeling great!
I hear stories from others who lost a tremendous amount of weight during induction and unfortunately that is not the case for me. * sigh * I ' m going to keep at on induction a bit longer and thanks to the name boost this morning ~ seeing my progress in hard factual numbers ~ I ' m truding forward.
Ooh. Ooh. Best part,... I managed to sqeeze my bum into a pair of jeans 2 sizes smaller than when I started Atkins! Of course they are stretch jeans and I can ' t even fit my legs into regular denims this size but hey,... I will take this as a positive situation. My next goal? To sqeeze into those regular denims. [ / icon_lol. gif]
Last edited by ragdollhugs on Mon Sep 24, 2007 10: 17 pm; edited 1 time in total
Nina
New Member
Joined: 16 Sep 2007
Posts: 16
Station: New York, USA
Mon Sep 24, 2007 7: 06 pm    Post subject:
Congratulations, ragdollhugs! Be patient and keep it up! I ' m on day 11 of induction and I, like you, do not weigh myself everyday... I am waiting for day 14 so we ' ll see... Your posts are really inspiring... I say this because you made a few mistakes but didn ' t allow that to discourage you from trying again! WTG... a loss of 15 lbs is great!!! [ / icon_biggrin. gif] YAY!
towhook
Senior Member
Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 285
Whereabouts: Dallas, Tx
Tue Sep 25, 2007 9: 09 pm    Post subject:
I ' m glad you ' re on track and you didn ' t give up. Keep up the good work.
ragdollhugs
New Member
Joined: 07 Sep 2007
Posts: 25
Sat Sep 29, 2007 3: 22 am    Post subject:
Not much is happening. * sigh *
Is there something that I can eliminate from induction to kick things up a incision? Do I have to eat meat? I am wondering if I stick to veggies only if this diet would start to work. [ / icon_sad. gif]
towhook
Senior Member
Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 285
Seat: Dallas, Tx
Sat Sep 29, 2007 5: 47 am    Post subject:
What about the 15 pounds you lost?
You don ' t have to eat meat, but I don ' t think it will speed things up if you eliminate it.
You can exercise more.
What exactly is going on? Did you not lose any weight in awhile? Are you clothes not getting any looser?
bluehex
Senior Member
Joined: 03 Dec 2003
Posts: 2663
Locality: Warsaw, Poland
Sat Sep 29, 2007 3: 53 pm    Post subject:
If you stick to veggies only it won ' t be " this diet " anymore. What do you want to live on, three cups of salad a day?
Don ' t be impatient. You have very little to lose. Give it time. Or, as Towhook rightly pointed out, exercise more. Sometimes increasing the water also helps.
Are you eating enough calories? ' Cos if you got yourself into starvation mode, things are not going to get any better any time soon. With any diet.
ragdollhugs
New Member
Joined: 07 Sep 2007
Posts: 25
Sat Sep 29, 2007 4: 19 pm    Post subject:
Conceivably I have plateaued? Is that expected so soon? I am still doing induction and drinking plenty of water. No weight loss in two weeks and my clothes actually are more sizzling. I don ' t want to weigh myself and be bummed if it says I have gained 5 pounds, know what I mean?
My stomach looks and feels like I am retaining water again. In gospel, this is the area in which my clothes are back to being snuggly instead of loose.
I thought remaining on induction would mean greater weight loss but I now bewilderment if * not * moving on to the next phase is hindering my progress.
BTW,.... I have 50 pounds more to lose. A fair amount.
towhook
Senior Member
Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 285
Situation: Dallas, Tx
Sat Sep 29, 2007 5: 36 pm    Post subject:
Post your recent menu again and we ' ll see what ' s going on. Plateau ' s don ' t much arise this soon, but you never know.
Also, what is your activity level and are you in ketosis? Are you nearing your TOM? You don ' t have to answer that, but if you are a lot of women retain water during that time.
How much weight are you trying to lose?
ragdollhugs
New Member
Joined: 07 Sep 2007
Posts: 25
Sat Sep 29, 2007 5: 47 pm    Post subject:
I don ' t record my daily menu but I will try to remember the past couple days.
Day 1
Boiled egg
whole raw green pepper
roasted chicken
salad greens with gr pepper, celery, buff, cucumber, tomato, ranch dressing
grilled chicken with grilled peppers and onion
Day 2
1 Boiled egg
1. 5 cups tuna, egg, mayo salad ( light on the mayo )
raw celery 6 - 8 stalks
whole cucumber
2 bratwurst with sauerkraut
I * think * I know what TOM means and I don ' t have them. I had a hysterectomy years ago in my early 20s and I am on the other side of menopause because of it. Yes, at 40 menopause is behind me. Could that have anything to do with my resistance? My hormones, or lack thereof?
I exercise everyday. Some days I go to gym for 30 - 50 reminiscence, other days i walk for same amount of time, some days I do yoga for 1 / 2 hour. I get bored doing the same thing everyday so I try to shake it up.
My job is rather sedentary though. I am not getting as much exercise throughout the day as someone who is up and down a lot. I work at a computer and sometimes I am at it for hours.
bluehex
Senior Member
Joined: 03 Dec 2003
Posts: 2663
Seat: Warsaw, Poland
Sat Sep 29, 2007 8: 00 pm    Post subject:
The menopause definitely is a instrument - when hormonal activity ceases, metabolism slows down. So your path may be bumpier than others... Sorry.
Your menu looks all right, so if your clothes suddenly feel tighter, there may be a number of reasons. One of them is hormonal. I don ' t have this experience, but my Mom told me, that after the menopause for fully a few years nymph felt " strange " around the time her TOM should be, and broad retained water. Other symptoms were there as well, breast swelling, some such. Could this be your case? Your body trying to do something even though it can ' t?
It is also possible that you are allegric to one of the foods you are eating. This would cause water retention, becuase your body perceives such a food as " toxin " and tries to dilute it. Here, there is no other way but a long and insipid working of elimination. Or maybe you could test? If you are eating a limited variety? That ' s one of the resons for limiting the food variety on Induction, cutting out food allergies.
Another possible reason is sodium / potassium imbalance. Are you having muscle cramps? If so, you are lacking potassium. This may also be a reason for water retention - general rule ( of course, it ' s more circuitous than that, but in a nutshell ) is that sodium retains water, potassium releases water.
Is your weightloss goal realistic? Remember, that at 40 the very chemical composition of your body is different than at 20 - heavier bones, less cartilage etc.
Are you eating enough calories for your weight, height and age? Google " BMR calculator " and check. Your actual BMR is rather less than the calculator will show, because of the hormones, but it ' s only about 100 - 150 calories difference ( I just checked for a woman 5 ' 5 ", 150 lbs, at ages 30 40 and 60. I don ' t know your stats, so this was just to see the range; from 1472 at 30 to 1330 at 60 ). It is important to eat a sufficient number of calories, especially since you have to build up muscle. If you want to lose weight, you should eat 100 - 200 - 300 calorires ABOVE your BMR.
Are you taking any kind of medication? If so, ask your doctor if it may cause water retention or if it has any impact on metabolic processes. It could be something as simple as headache pills, or flu medication.
Are you eating any fat? You need some to burn fat. So, olive oil on salads, liberal on the mayo. LOWFAT ATKINS DOESN ' T WORK.
Are you getting enough sleep? Lack of sleep hampers weightloss. Are you under a lot of stress? Stress releases certain hormones, which also may be detrimental.
Hope some of this helps. Of course, you don ' t have to answer all the questions on the forum, some of them are pretty personal, but just answer them for yourself. You could also re - read the chapter on metabolic resistance, I remember there were many tips there on possible reasons for slow weightloss.
Good luck!
towhook
Senior Member
Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 285
Location: Dallas, Tx
Sat Sep 29, 2007 8: 08 pm    Post subject:
Record what you eat for a couple of days and post that with the amounts and everything.
Also include the times you ' re eating them at.
Get a journal and record everything you eat. Don ' t leave one bite off. Record the time and the amount.
Don ' t forget about beverages, include that. Everything that goes into your mouth.
It might be a pain in the but, but I think it will help you and it ' ll help get to the bottom of your problems.
I ' ll see if I can dig up any information about the hormones.
towhook
Senior Member
Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 285
Location: Dallas, Tx
Sat Sep 29, 2007 8: 23 pm    Post subject: Sample menu. What I ate on induction
8am Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and sausage with cheese. 3 eggs, 1 or 2 servings of mild breakfast sausage all scrambled together with about an ounce or ounce and a half of cheese. 32 ounces water
12pm Lunch: Buffalo chicken salad. 1 can of chicken, 1 - 2 tablespoons of mayonaise, 1 tablespoon buffalo wing sauce mixed together. 1 - 1 / 2 cups romaine salad. Topped with about 1 tablespoon ranch dressing and 1 oz shredded cheese, 1 boiled egg. 32 ounces water
3pm Snack: 1 cheese stick, porkrinds with salsa / creamcheese mixture.
6pm Dinner: Chicken caesar salad. 1 chicken breast cutlet cut into strips, 1 - 1 / 2 cups romaine salad topped with cheese, 1 boiled egg, bacon bits, 1 - 2 tablespoons caesar dressing and 1 ounce shredded cheese. 32 ounces water.
I tried to spread the vegetable out throughout the day. I also always ate a hearty breakfast and drank lots of water. Hopefully this helps you build a good meal plan.
I can ' t really tell from what you posted earlier, but I think you ' re only eating an egg for breakfast and your putting all your salad into one meal. I can ' t be sure, but I think that could be it. You might not be eating enough. I can ' t be sure until you post everything later. Also we need to know your weight so. I know you said before you ' re embarassed by it, but we have all been there. It will help me figure out if you ' re not eating enough.
ragdollhugs
New Member
Joined: 07 Sep 2007
Posts: 25
Mon Oct 01, 2007 9: 04 pm    Post subject:
I will answer all questions. No prob. I will get back to that later today. I don ' t mind stating my height and weight privately but I am reluctant to do that on the boards.
I have one question in the mean time. I went out to eat with a friend this weekend. I ate grilled grouper ~ yum yum ~ and cup of black beans. I know the black beans are not on the induction menu and I wonder how much damage I did in eating them. I was hungry and they seemed the safest thing to eat beyond the grilled fish. It is really REALLY hard to eat according to the book when going to a restaurant. Sheesh!
Do I have to start induction over from the beginning after eating that cup of black beans?
bluehex
Senior Member
Joined: 03 Dec 2003
Posts: 2663
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Mon Oct 01, 2007 11: 04 pm    Post subject:
Nothing tragic. A cup of black beans has approximately 26 carbs. And those are not very bad, I mean it ' s not sugar or white flour. No harm done, I think. Just be really strict for a few days.
ragdollhugs
New Member
Joined: 07 Sep 2007
Posts: 25
Tue Oct 02, 2007 12: 39 am    Post subject:
Q&A time!
Since breaking through menopause I don ' t notice any PMS symptoms. I wonder, if I eat too much meat and not enough veggies would that account for the water retention?
I will pay more attention to my bloatedness and see if I can pinpoint a possible food as the culprit.
No muscle cramps at all and I do watch my sodium. Such a mystery.
My weight loss goal is realistic. I am only going for the upper side of normal weight for my height because I have large bone structure.
I ' m confused about your BMR advice. I used a calculator and got my BMR but if I understand it correctly that is what I need to eat to maintain my weight, right? And you suggest I increase that to lose weight? I must be misunderstanding something. There is no way i eat that many calories in a day but I do wonder if I eat too few sometimes. How can I find out my min required calories?
I take advil occasionally but other than that I don ' t take any meds. I do take a multivitamin, chromium picolinate, sam - E and Co Q - 10 which actually increases metabolism ( the latter ).
I eat a bit of fat but not much. It does come from oils and sald dressing primarily. I bake my chicken with skin on and remove it before eating so I ' m getting a bit there as well. Oh and I do eat pork once a week or so.
Sleep is definiltey a problem. I am a life long insomniac and don ' t actually sleep much at all. This issue keeps coming up so I guess I need to break down and see a doc for some assistance. Stress, possible. I am going through a divorce, a good divorce, no fighting and I don ' t feel stressed but who knows what is lurking down deep. It ' s quite a change!
I will indeed re read the material on metabolic resistance. Thanks for all the thought provoking questions.
Thanks for the menu and journal suggestion towhook. I guess if I ' m going to make this work I need to be more diligent than some because my bod is not giving in to this diet easily!
I will keep everything in mind and see if something dawns on me soon.
Thanks again.
[ / icon_biggrin. gif]
towhook
Senior Member
Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 285
Location: Dallas, Tx
Tue Oct 02, 2007 12: 41 am    Post subject:
Most restaurants are willing to work with you. My wife is a very picky eater, so she always wants to substitute stuff. In the future, you can just ask to sub in a small side salad or just roasted vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower or something.
bluehex
Senior Member
Joined: 03 Dec 2003
Posts: 2663
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Tue Oct 02, 2007 6: 49 am    Post subject:
ragdollhugs wrote:
I wonder, if I eat too much meat and not enough veggies would that account for the water retention?
No. Protein has a diuretic effect, so the meat only helps.
Quote:
I ' m confused about your BMR advice. I used a calculator and got my BMR but if I understand it correctly that is what I need to eat to maintain my weight, right?
No, not really. I guess I didn ' t explain it too well, sorry. BMR is what you use for basic body functions only: breathing, keeping warm etc. I wrote about it at length here: http: / / lowcarbsite. com / forum / viewtopic. php? t=12566 ( scroll down to a loooong post of mine ).
Quote:
There is no way i eat that many calories in a day
Then my guess would be this is the source of your problems, just like Pipi's.
Quote:
How can I find out my min required calories?
You minimum required is your BMR plus 200 - 300 calories. Since you exercise very regularly, it should probably be even more, to make sure your body's basic needs are satisfied at all times.
Quote:
I eat a bit of fat but not much. It does come from oils and sald dressing primarily. I bake my chicken with skin on and remove it before eating so I ' m getting a bit there as well. Oh and I do eat pork once a week or so.
If you have problems losing, it's good to change your fat / protein ratio. See, in absence of dietary glucose your liver starts producing it from whatever it has at hand – protein and fat. BUT: 61 % of protein can be converted into glucose, as opposed to about 10 % of fat. This is why lowfat Atkins doesn't work. So at the same calorie level, you should be eating more fat and less protein.
Quote:
Sleep is definiltey a problem. I am a life long insomniac and don ' t actually sleep much at all. This issue keeps coming up so I guess I need to break down and see a doc for some assistance. Stress, possible. I am going through a divorce, a good divorce, no fighting and I don ' t feel stressed but who knows what is lurking down deep. It ' s quite a change!
Stress is your worst enemy. It produces hormones which may seriously hamper weightloss. And honestly, no matter how amicable a divorce may be I don't think it can ever be „good"... Of course, it's a lot of stress!
But in case of rapid gain in weight or volume, I always suspect water management… It is not possible to gain a visible amount of fat overnight! It takes 3500 calories for a pound of fat, and that's not counting everything you burned during the day, so it's just physically not possible. Must be a water problem lurking there somewhere. In summer, I'd suspect the weather ( you retain more when it's hot ), but now… I don't know.
I'm not a doctor, so it's not medical advice, but from my experience here – my eyes are on insufficient calorie level / insomnia / stress mixture. Or food allergy. And some extra potassium won't hurt, either… ( yup, I'm a real fan of potassium… so you are welcome to ignore this last comment as it is obviously and unabashedly biased… [ / icon_wink. gif] )
Hope this helps...
towhook
Senior Member
Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 285
Location: Dallas, Tx
Tue Oct 02, 2007 2: 20 pm    Post subject:
I know it may sound counter - intuitive, but Bluehex is right, you need to eat more than your BMR to lose weight with this diet. The thing about this diet that makes it so much better than anything else is it creates a metabolic advantage. There ' s a chapter in the book that talks about the studies done but here ' s the abbreviated version. You can eat more calories wise and lose more weight with a low carbohydrate, high fat / protein diet and lose weight. Check out the studies in the book, it ' s an interesting read.
About the stress of the divorce. I know you don ' t feel stress, but our subconscious works in strange ways. I spent a year in Iraq with the Army and while I was there I didn ' t feel stressed at all, except for occasionally. When I got back, I couldn ' t sleep for a couple of days, but I wouldn ' t be tired. The army doctors told us it was the adrenaline and stress leaving our bodies because while we were over there we were always on a heightened state of alert. We didn ' t notice any of this stress until it was all said and done.
In your case, you might be stressed because divorces are hard even if it is going well. It ' s a major life changing event.
I think you need to eat more, and spread out your carbs as much as you can. I didn ' t have your amounts from your estimated and plugged in your meals into fitday and I don ' t think you ' re eating enough.
Sleep is a big issue. In my opinion, that ' s when your body is doing most of the fat metabolizing. I don ' t ever lose weight until the next morning. My guess is that during the day, you ' re mostly burning off what you eat and a little bit of what you have stored. During the night your body has depleted what you ' ve eating and begins to primarily work on your fat stores and it takes time to do this. Also, while you ' re sleeping, your body doesn ' t have to expend as much energy on other things that it does while you ' re awake and goes to work on your fat.
My menu plan is pretty consistent, so here ' s what I ' ve noticed when other things change. I don ' t lose as much when I don ' t sleep enough and when I don ' t drink enough water. Mostly the water has a bigger impact but I think that is only because I nearly always get atleast 6 or 7 hours. I usually try to get 8 or 9. I think 8 or 9 is best for me.
ildanoch
Senior Member
Joined: 09 Feb 2007
Posts: 212
Tue Oct 02, 2007 2: 36 pm    Post subject:
It ' s not just amount of sleep but quality of sleep. I lose more weight when I wake up truly refreshed.
Water also has a huge impact. I drink 5 - 6 24oz bottles of water a day. I can tell a difference in 5 vs 6 by how I feel.
I ' ve been grumbling about my plateau for a while. I looked hard at my diet and realized I was doing the same thing that we were fussing at others for doing - - not eating enough.
This weekend I pigged out. Got too many carbs but not from sweets / candy so I didnt stress about it. I also didnt drink enough water which was badbad. I gained 4 lbs - water weight from not drinking enough. I ' m now back on induction but making sure I eat enough calories in the day and specially enough fat. We ' ll see how I progress.11 октября 2008 г.